Top 10 Things To Know About The David Letterman Show: A Guide For David Cameron (And Other Brits)

Clint Eastwood once said that there were only two American art forms: jazz and the Western. But he could well have added another: the late-night talk show.

From the early days of The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show through to current series like Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Conan, the late-night talk show is an American institution. And one of its longest-running proponents is the marvellous David Letterman.

With its house band, celebrity guests and opening monologue from its laconic host, the nearest equivalent we've ever had in Britain is probably Jonathan Ross's chat shows - notably, his late '80s show for Channel 4, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross - but still, no one's quite come close. And certainly not for so long.

2. The show is recorded at the Ed Sullivan Theater in midtown Manhattan, New York
Letterman and his crew work four days a week, taping Friday's show earlier in the week.

3. The house band is called the CBS Orchestra
And it's led by Paul Shaffer, who's been at Letterman's side since 1982. It was also previously the house band of Late Night With David Letterman (minus the horn section), when it was known as The World's Most Dangerous Band.

5. Drew Barrymore flashed her boobs at Letterman in "a birthday gift he'll never forget"
We don't recommend that Cameron does this.

6. The 1994 episode featuring Madonna as a guest is the most censored in American talk-show history
Why? Because Madge said the word "fuck" thirteen times. Again, we don't recommend that Cameron does this.